Etap Valence Centre

And we're back! Internet was pretty much non existent though the french countryside; so sorry for the late blog posts. At any rate; we decided in order to see the wine regions of France you have to drive, so yep, we rented a car! Freedom from bus, train, and metro schedules is amazing. Our first stop out of Provence was Orange, the gateway to the Rhone Valley. But as it was a Sunday, and a holiday, there wasn't much to see, so we took off to drive ...

found a great little town in Provence.. and as they say "when in Rome (Provence)"... we had a great meal in true french restaurant... happy to be away from tourist food... and had some very nice red wine........ just a stopover but a friendly little place and nice hotel...

on the road again...

Après un été bien au chaud c'est bientôt le départ vers l'Orient...
Si je suis encore le nez dans mes valises ma tête est déjà partie.
Dans une semaine je serai de nouveau autour de Shanghai pour rencontrer des sculpteurs de racine. Sculpter des racines en Chine est un art presque codé; on doit d'abord trouver une racine d ...

... e de la décoration. Le résultat d'ensemble est impressionnant surtout lorsque l'on considère le soin apporté aux détails. Petit clin d'œil à l'histoire : chacune des chambres porte le nom d'un ancien occupant de la maison. On trouve ainsi la chambre Laurens de la Pra, avocat ...

... la volée de marches qui conduit au petit boudoir situé en haut de la tour pour y découvrir la vue sur le Rhône et la vieille ville. Sérieusement, vous aviez vraiment pensé repartir?
Contact et informations: www.maisondelapra.com
Maison de la Pra
8 rue de l'équerre
F- 26000 Valence
Tel. + 33(0)670 572 954
Photo: maison de la Pra

... just give her a E50 note and hope for some change! The same with the butcher - we left yesterday with a piece of beef which cost the same as a small African Nation would have on the blackmarket - needless to say that the children have now been quietly prepped that we dont walk into a shop BEFORE we have looked into the windows first and decided what we want so we can avoid ...

Possibly the most romantic destination EVER, the Chateau Du Bijou is very beautiful and totally away from it all, but only just! We spent the weekend exploring the Ardeche and Drome
areas, situated either side of the Rhone Valley, which are both also really beautiful
and unspoilt holiday destinations. No crowded beaches, but fresh rivers
for ...

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Viviers a funny little very old walled town (nasty alleys) but the aire by the river was nice, and has electricity.

... are also glad Obama won which makes traveling over here as an American a little easier (we don't have to say we're from Canada anymore). ;-) Tomorrow we head to Grenoble, France for a few days before our flight to Madrid. Any tips or suggestions for these locations would be welcomed. Updates should come more regularly again and pictures will not be of donkeys anymore (sorry to those who mourn this news). Until then... C&J